Iran's Alireza Karimi-Machiani claimed a bronze medal at the 2015 Worlds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)An Iranian wrestler allegedly intentionally lost a match to a Russian opponent at the 2017 U23 World Senior Wrestling Championship in Poland Saturday so he would not have to face an opponent from Israel, according to multiple media reports Tuesday.
Iran's Alireza Karimi-Machiani, 23, was wrestling Alikhan Zhabrailov of Russia when a sideline coach told him to lose the match.
"Karimi-Machiani is easily defeating his opponent but after a couple of minutes his coach shouts, 'Alireza, lose,'" the New York Times reported Tuesday. (The article includes video of the match imbedded within.) "The Iranian wrestler shakes his head and continues, until his coach once again shouts at him. At that point, he throws in the towel, metaphorically speaking, and not for the first time -- he did the same thing in 2013."
"I was told that the Israeli wrestler defeated his American rival, and that I must lose to avoid facing an Israeli opponent," Karimi-Machiani said in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency. "I have trained hard for months to win a gold medal, and it was easy for me to win."
"But then came the instruction (from his coach) and it was like a bucket of cold water on all my dreams."
Israel's Uri Kalashnikov, who had defeated US wrestler Sam Brooks, would have been Karimi's next opponent. (Brooks eventually placed 17th in the weight class.)
Iran does not recognize the state of Israel and forbids its athletes from competing against Israelis at international sports events.
"I do accept that Israel is an oppressor and commits crimes," Karimi-Machiani said. "But would it not be oppression if our authorities undermine my hard work again?"
Over the weekend the Iranian wrestler had posted a video on Instagram which generated comment online from around the world. In response, Iran's Wrestling Federation published a statement Monday praising Karimi-Machiani's decision to lose. The statement called him a "hero" who "sacrificed his rights to support the oppressed people of Palestine "for the second time."
"Your noble and heroic action in the world competition in Poland, abandoning the medal and the podium in support of the highest human values, is a source of pride and praise," an official statement on the website of Iran's youth and sports ministry said, AFP reported.
"It is the second time that you have risen up against the oppression of the Palestinian people by abandoning your rights in an act of absolute submission," the statement also said, referring to his throwing of a match at the World Youth Championships in 2013 rather than compete against an Israeli.
Karimi, in the running for a gold medal in freestyle at 86 kilograms/189 pounds at the event at Bydgoszcz, Poland, had been winning the match against the Russian, 3-2, before the match was stopped so he could speak to his coach, the BBC reported. Karimi eventually lost, 14-3.
Russia's Zabrailov went on to win the gold at the United World Wrestling event for wrestlers under the age of 23. Israel's Kalashnikov took the bronze medal.
Karimi is not taking the situation lying down. He is demanding the Iranian wrestling federation pay him the bonus of 60 gold coins he would have earned for victory.
UPDATES
InterMat's Caryn Ward -- mother of U.S. wrestler Sam Brooks -- has written an opinion piece, "UWW needs to send a message to Iran: Compete or stay home" which addresses issues raised by what happened at the 2017 U23 World Senior Wrestling Championships in Poland last weekend.
United World Wrestling has launched an investigation. http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18993
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